Show Search Form

Search Results

human indexable	true false
published	true false
registered interest	true false
answer date	exactly: or between: and
date	exactly: or between: and
date tabled	exactly: or between: and
ddp created	exactly: or between: and
ddp modified	exactly: or between: and
answering body
question status
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
identifier
legislature	pref label
parliament number
question first answered
question text
session
session number
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
title
type
uin
version
written parliamentary question type
answer	answer text question first answered answering member
creator	label
publisher	pref label
tabling member	label

Search

105855

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	05/11/2014
	date	03/11/2014
	date tabled	03/11/2014
	ddp created	03/11/2014 23:32:33
	ddp modified	08/02/2015 05:58:43
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Public Appointments
	house id	1
	identifier	213021
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	55
	question first answered	21/11/2014 14:47:38
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions his Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.
	session	2014/15
	session number	4
	tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
	tabling member printed	John Woodcock
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2014/15 213021
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	213021
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>My Department recruits on the basis of fair and open competition, with candidates being appointed on the basis of merit.</p><p> </p><p>There are a very small number of exceptions, which are recognised by the Civil Service Commission; in our Department’s case, this is generally due to facilitate specific secondments from external organisations (for example, there were a series of fire secondments to provide support for the Olympics fire and security team), or to allow for appointments of individuals with specialised skillsets (for example, local audit) or for a time-limited project.</p><p> </p><p>The attached table gives a breakdown for each year since 2010-11, and to facilitate scrutiny, I have included 2009-10 to enable comparison with the use of exceptions under the last Administration.</p><p> </p><p>Figures for 2014-15 will be submitted in due course. Due to Data Protection obligations, it is not appropriate to disclose the identity of the individual staff concerned.</p><p> </p><p>More information on the civil Service Commission's guidance on recruitment exceptions can be found online at:</p><p><a href="http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Recruitment-Principles-April-2014.pdf" target="_blank">http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Recruitment-Principles-April-2014.pdf</a> (Annex A)</p><p> </p><p>More broadly, my Department has taken steps to open up job vacancies in the Department to a wider audience.</p> question first answered 21/11/2014 14:47:38 answering member 4043
	creator	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105860

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	05/11/2014
	date	03/11/2014
	date tabled	03/11/2014
	ddp created	03/11/2014 23:32:43
	ddp modified	08/02/2015 05:59:17
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Pay
	house id	1
	identifier	213061
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	55
	question first answered	18/11/2014 17:13:20
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.
	session	2014/15
	session number	4
	tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
	tabling member printed	John Woodcock
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2014/15 213061
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	213061
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Department has reduced staffing costs from £218 million a year in 2009-10 to £95 million in 2013-14. We have also completely overhauled and reformed the system of bonuses, in turn, reducing spending from £1.3 million in financial year 2008-09 and £1.2 million in financial year 2009-10 (£1.0 million in performance year 2009-10) to £440,000 in performance year 2013-14.</p><p> </p><p>For staff who are not Senior Civil Service, this included replacing the Annual Performance Bonus Scheme and the in-year Special Bonus Scheme, with an Exceptional Performance Scheme and in-year Instant Voucher Reward Scheme. The latter is designed to enable managers to provide immediate acknowledgment of exceptional performance for smaller scale achievements over a short period of time. Vouchers are given in values of £10 to £50.</p><p> </p><p>The types of work that may qualify for a nomination include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>identifying and taking actions that results in cost savings and efficiencies;</li><li>stepping in to support colleagues at short notice to deliver business goals;</li><li>delivering high quality work ahead of agreed timescales;</li><li>exceeding the expectations of colleagues or customers;</li><li>displaying exemplary behaviour which reflects DCLG’s values;</li><li>receiving outstanding feedback from colleagues or external customers.</li></ul><p> </p><p>From the scheme’s launch in June 2013 to December 2013, 360 staff received a reward with an average payment of £34. From January 2014 to September 2014, 285 staff received a reward with an average payment of £30.</p><p> </p><p>I am unsure of whether the hon. Member wishes to disparage such small-scale bonuses because they may involve giving out shopping vouchers, yet we believe that they are a cost-effective way of improving staff performance within Whitehall and delivering a better service to the public.</p><p> </p><p>Indeed, the vouchers given for saving taxpayers’ money have delivered at least £40,000 of quantifiable savings and further efficiency improvements on top. Under the Labour Government, the state congratulated those that regulated more, spent more and taxed more. We want to reward those who regulate less, spend less and tax less.</p><p> </p><p>I would hope the hon. Member, as a Co-operative Party MP, supports the underlying principles of staff involvement, economic participation and self-improvement which we are embracing.</p><p> </p> question first answered 18/11/2014 17:13:20 answering member 4043
	creator	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105878

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	05/11/2014
	date	03/11/2014
	date tabled	03/11/2014
	ddp created	03/11/2014 23:33:19
	ddp modified	08/02/2015 06:01:17
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Public Appointments
	house id	1
	identifier	213023
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	55
	question first answered	03/12/2014 16:49:03
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions his Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.
	session	2014/15
	session number	4
	tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
	tabling member printed	John Woodcock
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2014/15 213023
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	213023
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Civil Service Commission recognises that in some circumstances it may be right to allow appointments to be made outside of the principle of selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Those exceptions are designed to provide a flexible way of recruiting staff where this is necessary in the interests of the Civil Service; for example, to meet a short-term need for specialist skills.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested is contained in the table below.The Ministry of Defence does not hold records of appointments by exception prior to Financial Year 2012-13. For data protection purposes, name of individuals appointed to roles cannot be disclosed.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of appointments</strong></p><p><strong>made by exception</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>134</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>169</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15 (to 31 October)</p></td><td><p>95</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> question first answered 03/12/2014 16:49:03 answering member 3938
	creator	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105887

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	05/11/2014
	date	03/11/2014
	date tabled	03/11/2014
	ddp created	03/11/2014 23:33:36
	ddp modified	08/02/2015 06:02:18
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Pay
	house id	1
	identifier	213063
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	55
	question first answered	02/12/2014 16:26:42
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.
	session	2014/15
	session number	4
	tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
	tabling member printed	John Woodcock
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2014/15 213063
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	213063
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence operates a Minor Award Scheme, which recognises performance over and above that is normally required in a specific task. The table below shows the number of awards and their total value for Financial Years (FY) 2012-13 and 2013-14. The information is not held by calendar year.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>FY 2012-13</p></td><td><p>Total Value</p></td><td><p>FY 2013-14</p></td><td><p>Total Value</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of Awards</p></td><td><p>5,348</p></td><td><p>£344,471.14</p></td><td><p>3,701</p></td><td><p>£284,272.43</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The number of awards does not equate to the number of officials who received them; awards can be made to individuals or teams of individuals.</p><p> </p> question first answered 02/12/2014 16:26:42 answering member 3938
	creator	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105884

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	05/11/2014
	date	03/11/2014
	date tabled	03/11/2014
	ddp created	03/11/2014 23:33:31
	ddp modified	08/02/2015 06:01:55
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Public Appointments
	house id	1
	identifier	213043
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	55
	question first answered	20/11/2014 16:57:10
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions his Department has had requests for appointments by exception to the Senior Civil Service turned down by the Civil Service Commission since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.
	session	2014/15
	session number	4
	tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
	tabling member printed	John Woodcock
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2014/15 213043
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	213043
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="5"> </td><td colspan="6" rowspan="5"><p>I refer the hon. Member to the Answer my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Francis Maude) gave him on 10 November 2014, to Question UIN 213040.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> question first answered 20/11/2014 16:57:10 answering member 3938
	creator	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105885

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	05/11/2014
	date	03/11/2014
	date tabled	03/11/2014
	ddp created	03/11/2014 23:33:33
	ddp modified	04/09/2015 14:57:12
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Freedom of Information
	house id	1
	identifier	213104
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	55
	question first answered	17/11/2014 16:59:56
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on legal fees over prevention of release of information requested by Freedom of Information requests since 2010.
	session	2014/15
	session number	4
	tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
	tabling member printed	John Woodcock
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2014/15 213104
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	213104
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 September 2014, (Official Report, column 95W). Since that answer, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has spent a further £17,470.52 in 2013-14, bringing the total in that financial year to £66,319.58. In the current financial year, to date the MOD has spent £14,471.00.</p> question first answered 17/11/2014 16:59:56 answering member 3938
	creator	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105879

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	05/11/2014
	date	03/11/2014
	date tabled	03/11/2014
	ddp created	03/11/2014 23:33:21
	ddp modified	08/02/2015 06:01:25
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Freedom of Information
	house id	1
	identifier	213083
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	55
	question first answered	17/11/2014 16:55:35
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Freedom of Information requests his Department has declined to answer in full since 2010.
	session	2014/15
	session number	4
	tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
	tabling member printed	John Woodcock
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2014/15 213083
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	213083
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) publishes a quarterly statistics bulletin recording Freedom of Information responses from all Government Departments, including the Ministry of Defence. The bulletin includes tables showing how many requests were granted in full, or resulted in some or all information being withheld. The MOJ statistics bulletin can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics</p> question first answered 17/11/2014 16:55:35 answering member 3938
	creator	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105875

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	05/11/2014
	date	03/11/2014
	date tabled	03/11/2014
	ddp created	03/11/2014 23:33:15
	ddp modified	08/02/2015 06:00:56
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Mobile Phones
	house id	1
	identifier	213153
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	55
	question first answered	11/11/2014 17:41:58
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on iPhones in each year since 2010.
	session	2014/15
	session number	4
	tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
	tabling member printed	John Woodcock
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2014/15 213153
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	213153
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>The majority of mobile telephones supplied to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are provided by Vodafone through an enabling arrangement through the Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service (DFTS) contract with BT. A very small number (less than 1%) of mobile telephones are procured outside this arrangement to meet local operational demands, typically at MOD establishments overseas. Until July 2014, the procurement of iPhones required purchase authorisation outside the scope of the DFTS catalogue but, since then, iPhones have been ordered by routine processes via the DFTS catalogue. Monthly network access charges for iPhones are greater than basic mobile telephones. Expenditure on iPhone accounts via the DFTS contract is in the attached table.</p><p> </p><p>It should be noted that iPhones purchased prior to Jan 2010 continue to incur network access charges in the reporting period. The current cost differential is £5 for a basic mobile phone per month and £11.23 for an iPhone.</p><p> </p><p>The annual expenditure on iPhone purchases and network acccess charges via the DFTS contract since January 2010 to October 2014 are shown in the attached table:</p><p> </p><p> </p> question first answered 11/11/2014 17:41:58 answering member 1542
	creator	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

106016

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	05/11/2014
	date	03/11/2014
	date tabled	03/11/2014
	ddp created	03/11/2014 23:38:32
	ddp modified	08/02/2015 06:16:11
	answering body	Home Office
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Pay
	house id	1
	identifier	213069
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	55
	question first answered	13/11/2014 17:55:05
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to her Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.
	session	2014/15
	session number	4
	tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
	tabling member printed	John Woodcock
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2014/15 213069
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	213069
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>The Home Office thank you voucher scheme is intended to reward staff quickly for outstanding achievement over and above normal good performance. Staff can receive either a £25 or £50 voucher for each piece of work being rewarded.<br><br>Thank you vouchers have been ordered to a total value of £91,035 for 2013 and £135,490 for 2014 to date.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> question first answered 13/11/2014 17:55:05 answering member 4110
	creator	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

106011

	human indexable
	published
	registered interest
	answer date	05/11/2014
	date	03/11/2014
	date tabled	03/11/2014
	ddp created	03/11/2014 23:38:20
	ddp modified	08/02/2015 06:15:38
	answering body	Home Office
	question status	Tabled
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Public Appointments
	house id	1
	identifier	213049
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	parliament number	55
	question first answered	13/11/2014 17:52:02
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions her Department has had requests for appointments by exception to the Senior Civil Service turned down by the Civil Service Commission since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.
	session	2014/15
	session number	4
	tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
	tabling member printed	John Woodcock
	title	House of Commons Tabled Parliamentary Question 2014/15 213049
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	213049
	version	1
	written parliamentary question type	Ordinary
	answer	answer answer text <p>As set out by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on (10 November 2014 213040), the Civil Service Commission publish details of appointments made by exception and approved by them in their annual reports and on their website. <br><br>These reports are available in the Library of the House. It would not be appropriate to publish by individual departments details of the requests turned down by the Commission as the numbers involved are so small.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> question first answered 13/11/2014 17:52:02 answering member 4110
	creator	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney
	publisher	25259 pref label House of Commons
	tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney